Oncology remains attractive as the preferred therapeutic area for pharmaceutical research based on high unmet medical need and impressive commercial success of targeted therapeutics in the last five years. Improved medications to treat multiple types of cancer, either alone or in combination with other synergistically acting drugs continue to be favored for development. Rhizen has discovery programs targeting novel kinases involved in controlling the cell growth. Owing to their ubiquitous distribution and role in oncogenesis, protein kinases have evolved to become the most sought after drug targets in the twenty first century. Protein phosphorylation plays a pivotal role in the regulation of biochemical and signaling pathways and is thus critical for overall cellular functions. The success of imatinib and subsequent variant drugs in the treatment of several cancers has further invigorated the development of kinase inhibitors as anticancer agents. Kinases thus offer an attractive source of specific and validated targets for designing targeted anti-cancer agents as demonstrated by stupendous success of this class of drugs in the treatment of various cancers in the recent past.

Immuno-inflammation

Immunological and chronic inflammatory debilitating disorders of both genetic and epigenetic origins represent a huge unmet medical need and are the focuses of significant amounts of drug industry R & D spending. Although currently available NSAIDs and corticosteroids are effective in causing remission of the inflammatory response, they are fraught with a number of side-effects and thus warrant the development of better and safer drugs. Recent advances in immune-inflammatory disease management demonstrate that clinical responses can be meaningfully improved with disease-modifying agents (DMA) in isolation or in combination with the existing anti-inflammatory or immunosuppressive drugs. Apart from the alleviation of toxicity commonly encountered with powerful immune modulators and anti-metabolites, DMAs virtually halt disease progression over prolonged usage and improve the quality of life. Rhizen focuses on targeted small molecule immunomodulators that possess immense commercial potential to replace more expensive biological drugs due to better compliance and ease of therapy.

Metabolic Diseases

Prevalence of diabetes and obesity is growing at an alarming rate and has reached epidemic proportions in both the Western world as well as developing countries. Although considered as metabolic disorders and not an actual disease, diabetes and obesity are vastly interlinked and trigger the occurrence of various chronic conditions like dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular disease (together known as the metabolic syndrome). Both obesity and Type 2 diabetes share similar pathologies and are characterized by insulin resistance, excessive accumulation of lipid stores, elevated plasma NEFA and deposition of triglycerides in muscle. Rhizen focuses on targeted oral small molecule anti-diabetic and anti-obesity agents that correct dysregulated glucose and lipid metabolism without the adverse effects encountered with currently available therapies.